Abstract: Objective To investigate the contamination status of quinolone veterinary drugs in foods of animal origin within the Pudong New District of Shanghai and to assess the associated dietary exposure and health risks for the population over 15 years of age. Methods Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 272 samples of animal-derived foods were collected from 36 administrative sub-districts (towns) in the Pudong New District. The samples were analyzed for ten quinolone compounds, including enrofloxacin, following Chinese national standard analytical methods. A risk assessment of dietary exposure to quinolones was conducted by integrating point estimation with Monte Carlo probabilistic simulation, utilizing established data on dietary consumption and body weight for Shanghai residents aged 15 and above. Results The overall detection rate of quinolones in the sampled foods of animal origin was 27.21%. The highest detection rates were observed for the sum of ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin in fish (50.43%), shrimp (14.29%), poultry (10.26%), and eggs (3.41%), respectively. The highest median residual concentration was also for the sum of ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin in fish, reaching 1.03 μg/kg. The hazard quotients (HQs) derived from the Monte Carlo simulation revealed that both the median and the 97.5th percentile HQs for quinolones across the four food categories were substantially lower than 1. Conclusion Although quantifiable levels and instances of non-compliance with maximum residue limits for quinolone veterinary drugs were identified in foods of animal origin in the Pudong New District, the health risk associated with dietary exposure for residents aged 15 and over is estimated to be low.

Key words: Foods of animal origin, Quinolones, Residue analysis, Dietary exposure assessment, Health risk